Tuesday, May 22, 2012

I found these old school stainless steel lunchboxes a couple years ago at a garage sale and couldn't resist. Brings back memories of Korea, picnics, Mom. All that good stuff.

Here we recreated a version that they have at Kanghodong Baekjeong in LA. (Their rib eye is to die for by the way). They have the shaken lunchbox on the menu and it seemed so easy and fun to make we decided to give it a try. The banchan can change depending on what you have in your fridge but I would always use kimchi, fried egg, and the seaweed.

Banchan 3: Fried Kimchi. It's super easy. Just heat a spoon of oil in a pan. Add a 1/2 cup of chopped kimchi and 1/2 t sugar. Fry until the oil in pan is bright orange and kimchi is soft, around 5 min.

When you have all your banchan ready you can start assembling the lunchbox. First put the rice in the lunchbox.

Then arrange the different banch on top of the rice along with the crushed seaweed.

We used the second lunchbox for dessert. Fresh cherries!

I would love to have this in my bag for lunch everyday.

Shake it up like they make you do at Konghodong. Or just mix it around with your chopsticks and voila you have a lovely lunch. Oh and the bohjagi can double as a table cloth.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Lotus root is one of those exotic things you find on your table at Korean or Japanese restaurants, but it's actually a common side dish great for lunchboxes or everyday meals. I love the cuteness of the shape and it's delicious as well.

You can buy the actual root which is brown and around the size of your fore arm or you can just buy the pre sliced version packed in water. The actual fresh root is more crisp and fresh while the pre sliced version will soak up the brown of the soy sauce better so it will be prettier. It depends on your preference. We opted for the crisp texture of fresh lotus root.

1. Put the lotus root slices in bowl with 2 cups water and the vinegar. This helps brighten up the color. Let sit for 15 minutes.

2. In a smaller bowl, mix up the soy sauce, water, sugar and honey.

3. Drain the lotus root slices.

4. Heat a pan on medium and add some cooking oil. Add the lotus root and fry until slightly golden.

5. Add the soy sauce mixture. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer while continuously stirring the lotus root and making sure all the slices are evenly covered. When the lotus root slices have absorbed most of the sauce and are sticky.

6. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds and you're done.

Stay tuned for the next post, which will be a lunchbox using this lotus root dish.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Yes, we love pancakes and can't get enough. Here we are making yet another Korean pancake. It is a bit more labor intensive than other pancakes but we think it's totally worth it. Great for a rainy afternoon snack.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Seaweed soup is a super easy, nutritious, and delicious. In Korea it's also known to be great for pregnant ladies or ladies who have just given birth thanks to the nutrients in seaweed that is good for your blood. It's a tradition to have seaweed soup on your birthday because this is the food that your mom had the day you were born.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

This is a dish that many people are probably not familiar with. It's rice cooked with bean sprouts and topped with a sauce. Very simple and very healthy. I remember my mom cooking it for us when we were bored with regular rice. Could be good for pregnant ladies who don't have much of an appetite, as Jeana also really liked this one. The key is in the tangy spicy sweet sauce mixed with the fragrant veggies.

Ingredients for 2:
1 1/4 cup rice
1 piece of dried kelp
2 1/2 cup water
2 handfuls of bean sprouts
1 small bunch of rucambole (can be found in produce section of Korean market. Pronounced 'dallae' in Korean. Can be substituted with chinese leeks or other green sprouts)

1. Put the water, rice and kelp in a bowl and let it sit for at least 1/2 hour.

2. Drain the rice and save the water it was sitting in. Put the rice in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add 1 1/4 cup of the water you saved.

3. Add the bean sprouts and put the top on. Bring to a boil.

4. Flip the rice over before it has a chance to stick to the bottom. Lower heat and put the top back on. Simmer on low for 10-12 minutes or until the rice is done. The water should be all evaporated and the rice cooked through.

5. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

6. Place rice in the bottom of a bowl and top with the rucambole and sauce. Enjoy with some kimchi, of course.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

If you are Korean you may have some fond memories of getting hungry in the middle of the night and mixing up a bowl of rice with whatever banchan(side dishes) you can find sitting in the fridge. This is what bibimbap is essentially. Just mix rice, side dishes, some red pepper paste, sesame oil, an egg and you're done. It's one of the most popular dishes in Korea and also why we love to fly Korean Air. (They serve bibimbap and it beats any other kind of airplane food hands down.)

Here we will be making a typical version from scratch. But again, there are no rules. You can change what goes in it.

2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the daikon and boil for 5 minutes until slightly tender. Take them out and drain under cold water. Set aside. In the same pot of water add the spinach and blanche for 1-2 minutes. Drain under cold water and set aside.

4. Heat up a frying pan and add the daikon matchsticks along with 1/2 t minced garlic, salt and pepper. Fry until tender and transluscent. Set aside.

5. In the same pan add some oil, mushrooms, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Fry for a few minutes until soft. Set aside.

6. In the same pan add the zucchini with salt and pepper. Fry for a few minutes until soft. Set aside.

7. In the same pan add some more oil (if necessary), the carrots, salt and pepper. Fry until soft. Set aside.

8. Finally, add the marinated meat and fry until cooked through.

Here is a picture of all the toppings we just made. Kind of reminds us of japchae toppings.

9. In a small bowl, add all the sauce ingredients and mix well.

To serve, put rice in a large bowl and arrange the toppings. Add the egg and sauce. You can also add crushed seasoned seaweed for garnish. This took us over an hour to make but if you have Korean leftovers in the fridge it might only take you 10 minutes.
Enjoy!